TAKING WORK HOME WITHOUT NAGGING SECURITY FEARS
The line between computing at work and computing at home has been blurred. Taking work home on a USB drive is often a useful option since there is no laptop to lug.
But if your work involves sensitive electronic documents, might they be within a hacker's online reach on a less secure home computer? An ounce of prevention may come in Verbatim's new Store 'n' Go Corporate Secure USB drives.
PHOTO: NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE
The drives, which range from one to four gigabytes and start at around US$65, take security seriously. They prompt a user periodically for a third password as an extra precaution. And after 10 unsuccessful attempts to log on, the drive is automatically locked down.
Companies can pay extra for a master unlocking program, but for the individual user, the only way to use a drive once it is locked is to reformat it and start over.
While the drive is meant for business uses, it is available to anyone with data security needs. Just don't forget those passwords.
A LAPTOP WITH VISTA THAT SEEMS LIKE A FULLY UPGRADED PC
The upgraded computer components needed to run Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, can come at a high price. Acer's TravelMate 2480-2779 laptop, however runs Vista without complaint.
The TravelMate has an Intel Celeron M processor running at 1.6 gigahertz, 512 megabytes of RAM and an 80-gigabyte hard drive. It comes with Vista Home Basic installed and is available now online and in stores.
The laptop also has a DVD writer and CD burner along with a 5-in-1 memory card reader. It has a 14-inch screen and uses Intel's graphics chip, the Graphics Media Accelerator 950.
Granted, Windows Vista Home Basic doesn't include Microsoft's flashy new Aero graphical interface. This edition does, however, include updated search features and improved security and virus protection.
Acer's 2480 line is aimed at the home user who isn't looking for an expensive system but wants all the benefits of Microsoft's improved operating system — or at least the basic functions.
AT ROAD'S END, A BIRD'S-EYE GUIDE TO WHAT'S AHEAD
Off-road, where territory is not yet mapped, most hand-held GPS systems show current map coordinates and major landmarks like streams and mountains, and keep track of the paths you have followed. They do not tell you what the terrain is like, or what is beyond the next hill or bend.
But the DeLorme Earthmate GPS PN-20 knows what is there, displaying topographical maps (with elevation profiles, campgrounds, trails, streets and highways) as realistic 3-D flyover simulations, or as bird's-eye aerial or satellite views showing landmarks.
DeLorme's Topo USA 6.0 DVD software, with topological and road maps of the US and major-highway maps of the world, is included in the PN-20's US$370 price. Roads can be superimposed on topological maps and aerial imagery downloaded from the Web; these can be stored in a 75-megabyte internal memory or on optional SD cards.
The 2.2-inch display can show trip details, compass headings, rising and setting times of the sun and moon, and tide schedules. Available at shop.delorme.com, the PN-20 can guide you through street or trail routes, signaling turns with a warning tone, so it can be used on the road as well.
DEVICE IS NOT QUITE TIVO FOR THE IPOD — BUT CLOSE
Converting video for use on an iPod or PlayStation Portable is often time-consuming and complex. The iLuv i182 is meant to change that.
This dock connects to any source with an S-video port and records television (and other video and audio) directly to the iPod's hard drive. An attachable SD and MemoryStick card reader can also save video for use in the PSP portable game system or other video players.
The i182 will be available at www.i-luv.com and in stores.
It records at 640-by-480 pixel resolution for iPods and 720-by-480 pixel resolution for the PSP and other devices. The device can be set to stop recording at a preset time, so you can turn it on — at, say, the beginning of Lost — and let it record for later consumption.
The recordings are encoded specifically for each playback device and are immediately available once recording is complete.
Unfortunately, you still need to initiate the recording manually, so the iLuv i182 isn't a replacement for a TiVo.
THAT TUNE IN YOUR HEAD COULD BE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH
Put a rock band in your mouth, along with a dab of toothpaste, with Tooth Tunes, a US$10 musical toothbrush from Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro. The theory is that two minutes of brushing is needed to give teeth a proper cleaning. So the brush is really a kind of timer.
The feeling is a bit eerie. The sound is transferred through the brush tip, into the teeth, and right into the inner ear, so you feel the music.
Because volume is related to pressure, you can turn up the volume by applying steady pressure to your teeth. Unfortunately, you can also hear better when not brushing, which children can soon learn.
The brushes, first released last fall, are being sold through www.toothtunes.com. They feature 17 artists, including the Black Eyed Peas, Hilary Duff, Kiss and others. There is even one that plays YMCA, so theoretically you can have the Village People in your head.
The switch is slime-proof, and batteries are included, providing power for up to six months. When they run out, you throw the brush away — and, Hasbro hopes, buy a new tune. Now you can tell your child to "keep brushing until Queen has finished, honey."
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